Finally! Fresh Sashimi!

[FolkGuitar]

It doesn't get much fresher than this. The lunch set menu for sashimi doesn't give you a choice of fish. It's what ever the owner, a delightful Japanese fellow, has caught a day or two before. Today it was Maguro and Tai. We got lucky 'cuz the fisherman/owner got lucky!

Eight thick slabs of ice cold fish, freshly grated wasabi (not the powdered stuff or the horseradish mix,) Japanese rice, Asari miso shiru soup, a plate of tsukemono, and mugicha... 100 baht! The sushi set is the same price, with eight thick pieces of fish on top and not a fake crab stick to be seen (or a slice of old salmon!) If the fish were any fresher it would have still been swimming! Everything tasted just as it does in the little corner sushi shop down the street from my house in Kyoto.

The set meals run out quickly as they are only made from what he catches himself. There is a larger menu of other dishes available.

The shop is only open 4 days a week. The other three, the owner is deep sea fishing.

Closed Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.

Open hours 11am-2pm 5:30pm-11pm

But if you want to get a seat (there are only a couple of tables, so people are sharing... you need to get there early. We arrived at 11:30 and managed to get two seats together as a couple was just leaving. When we left at 12:15 there were about 8 people waiting to get in.

The restaurant's name is "Sun Tori," and it's located down a soi off the north side of the moat. As you are driving east along the moat, a block or so after the Computer Plaza is the Samsung Center on the left. If you turn left down this soi, the restaurant is about 50m down on the right.

[junglechef]

I love this place but thought it was long gone, thanx

[Ulysses G.]

Sounds like a real pain in the butt to get that special, but worth it!

[vagabond48]

It's been around for a number of years. My wife and I started going again over 2 months ago and been eating there once a week for over a month. We thoroughly enjoy the freshness of the fish.

[Thighlander]

One of the better restaurant recs I've seen here in a while. Price, freshness, walkable.....is there a hot dog and egg promo? Can I sit there and drink tea for four hours? LOL.

[anonymouse]

I knew about this place but forgot all about maybe I should hook up with UG and Jungle Chef and give it a shot one lunchtime, Guys??

[Mapguy]

Sounds good, but limited in variety. After all, Chiang Mai is a long way from the sea!

By the way --- if fresh fish is your thing --- did you know that there are ponds around Chiang Mai where you can do your own fishing? You rent the gear, and they will cook the fish for you for lunch. But that is baked. I suppose, with a fish knife, you can do your own thing. Or, goodness knows, if you don't like fishing, there are fresh fish swimming in all large markets. What makes you think this chef has anything different? You just need a good fish knife (long, very sharp, and unserrated) and a little practice. More if the fish is still alive, which is the case in the better sashimi restaurants in Japan. If it doesn't wiggle on the plate, it isn't palatable sashimi!

[gamini]

You guys should all be aware that you can not eat raw freshwater fish. They are infested with small worms(parasites) that you can not see and can cause problems. But cooking kills these parsites. No japanese serve shshimi made from fresh water fish of any kind.

People im Issaan do eat raw fresh water fish and they suffer a lot of problems

[FolkGuitar]

By the way --- if fresh fish is your thing --- did you know that there are ponds around Chiang Mai where you can do your own fishing?

Call me skeptical, but do you think any of these ponds have Maguro or Tai swimming in them?

You rent the gear, and they will cook the fish for you for lunch.

When one is looking for sashimi, why would they want their fish cooked?

What makes you think this chef has anything different?

The fact that instead of buying freshwater fish from the market, he goes saltwater fishing in the sea for his sashimi lunch sets.

Very different indeed. Most people don't want to eat freshwater fish raw. Too many parasite problems.

[DogNo1]

A good sushi chef always has to check for worms. Some varieties of fish are often wormy so you have to be careful if you're preparing your own. You must also be deft with a sharp knife because thin sashimi slices taste best. The meal and its cost sounds great. It would probably cost me 1,000 THB in Bangkok though. The real wasabi is awsome although I prefer asari shimeji (small mushroom) miso shiru. The opportunity of eating at that restaurant may convince me to visit Chiang Mai. I haven't been there for many years and am eager to see how the city has grown.

You say that you have a house in the beautiful city of Kyoto. I wonder if Kyoto has the type of spaghetti restaurants that we have in western Tokyo. The spaghetti sauces are made of Japanese ingredients. My favorite sauce is asari shimeji natto cooked fresh in the pan with the spaghetti added at the end.

[Mapguy]

You guys should all be aware that you can not eat raw freshwater fish. They are infested with small worms(parasites) that you can not see and can cause problems. But cooking kills these parsites. No japanese serve shshimi made from fresh water fish of any kind.

People im Issaan do eat raw fresh water fish and they suffer a lot of problems

I don't know what "a lot of problems" are, but much as I hate to say it, this is a sensible comment. And nevermind getting into the problems Japanese have with polluted waters of their own.

Locally, water conditions are basically unmonitored --- and the situation with farmed fish is also very questionable, so, really, you are on your own!

There are just some of us who like to tempt fate!

[junglechef]

Anonynouse for sure, already asked another of our regular dining companions.

Mapguy and all, as it's getting a bit confusing to clarify what others and the OP said to quote the latter "The shop is only open 4 days a week. The other three, the owner is deep sea fishing."

[FolkGuitar]

A good sushi chef always has to check for worms. Some varieties of fish are often wormy so you have to be careful if you're preparing your own. You must also be deft with a sharp knife because thin sashimi slices taste best. The meal and its cost sounds great. It would probably cost me 1,000 THB in Bangkok though. The real wasabi is awsome although I prefer asari shimeji (small mushroom) miso shiru. The opportunity of eating at that restaurant may convince me to visit Chiang Mai. I haven't been there for many years and am eager to see how the city has grown.

You say that you have a house in the beautiful city of Kyoto. I wonder if Kyoto has the type of spaghetti restaurants that we have in western Tokyo. The spaghetti sauces are made of Japanese ingredients. My favorite sauce is asari shimeji natto cooked fresh in the pan with the spaghetti added at the end.

Must be a Kanto vs Kansai taste thing... In the Kansai (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe region) in better restaurants sashimi is always served as thick slabs rather than thin. The only place we see thinly sliced fish is in the Kaitenzushi shops (100¥ a plate conveyor belt chain restaurants.)

As to spaghetti restaurants in Kyoto and Osaka... don't get me started. In 15 years living and working in Japan, I NEVER found a 'real' Italian restaurant, only these spaghetti shops 'calling' themselves 'Italian Restaurants!' . A dozen different spaghetti offerings, all using the same sized/shaped pasta, with toppings that were entirely Japanese; Nori (seaweed) and tako (octopus) in soy sauce, natto and raw egg, Ketchup spagehtti, soy sauce and cod roe... Not to suggest that these were 'bad,' just not Italian. You would be very happy with Kyoto Italian restaurants!

I would have liked to able to order Veal Parmigiana, Baked Clams, Porchetta, Ravioi with Pesto, Osso bucco, etc... But alas... Just Spaghetti or pizza...

[Iamemjay]

Thanks FolkGuitar. I'll DEFINITELY check this place out. Forget the ravings of the ignorant - There is nothing like PROPER sashimi and wasabe, which I agree are both rarities in Thailand.

[anonymouse]

Anonynouse for sure, already asked another of our regular dining companions.

Mapguy and all, as it's getting a bit confusing to clarify what others and the OP said to quote the latter "The shop is only open 4 days a week. The other three, the owner is deep sea fishing."

I'll drop you a pm

[DogNo1]

I'm amazed that I've lived in Japan for 25 years and didn't know about the difference between Kanto and Kansai sushi. In good Kanto sushi restaurants, sushi slices are thicker than in the kaitenzushi places. I can't remember ever having decent western-style spaghetti in Japan. A search on spaghetti reveals hundreds of types of sauces but in Japan they have only three types of western sauce, none of which are tasty. The most memorable spaghetti I've ever had was in San Francisco's Little Italy - Pasta a Vongole. I was amazed that the clams were served in their shells. You had to pry the meat out one-by-one and discard the shells on a dish.

[Ulysses G.]

The most memorable spaghetti I've ever had was in San Francisco's Little Italy - Pasta a Vongole. I was amazed that the clams were served in their shells. You had to pry the meat out one-by-one and discard the shells on a dish.

That is a dish that I miss, but mine was further down Columbus Ave. in a neighborhood place near Fisherman's Wharf. I used to get it, to go, all the time when I was working down there.

Sushi/sashimi was too expensive back then to eat often - it was still pretty trendy - but I would imagine that there are much more reasonable options now.

[WinnieTheKhwai]

This guy opens 4 days a week, to then trek down south to the sea to go deep sea fishing for the remaining three days, then hauls the catch back up to Chiang Mai and then he sells it for Big C food center prices..

Really?

[FolkGuitar]

This guy opens 4 days a week, to then trek down south to the sea to go deep sea fishing for the remaining three days, then hauls the catch back up to Chiang Mai and then he sells it for Big C food center prices..

Really?

Nope... Cheaper than Big C food center prices.

The owner is a fisherman first/sushi chef second. He'd rather be fishing than working, and the walls of the shop are covered with photos of him with his various catches, posters of Marine Fish of Thailand, as well as the typical Japanese restaurant menu offerings.

[Mapguy]

I'm beginning to think that very, very few sashimi adicts in Chiang Mai are going to find a seat at his table!

[DogNo1]

Mapguy, there is one exception to the freshwater fish sushi not being served - Koi (Carp) sushi. It's really quite tasty and loads better than cooked carp. Regarding the worms and parasites in sushi - in the early days of the occupation, around 1949-1952, intestinal parasites gotten from eating sushi were a huge problem for the Japanese. The occupation authorities had to launch a campaign to address the problem. My dad was here in the US Army at the time and spent three 3-year tours here in total. I have heard lots of stories about how Japan was in those days. In the Stars and Stripes archives you can pull up stories about the health conditions in Japan during that time.

[Thighlander]

The most memorable spaghetti I've ever had was in San Francisco's Little Italy - Pasta a Vongole. I was amazed that the clams were served in their shells. You had to pry the meat out one-by-one and discard the shells on a dish.

That is a dish that I miss, but mine was further down Columbus Ave. in a neighborhood place near Fisherman's Wharf. I used to get it, to go, all the time when I was working down there.

Sushi/sashimi was too expensive back then to eat often - it was still pretty trendy - but I would imagine that there are much more reasonable options now.

Calamari Siciliano in SF was addictive. I used to be a regular at Basta Pasta at Grant/Vallejo, North Beach.

[wisemonkey]

Has anyone been there recently? Hope its still open. This is an interesting thread, the fisherman/chef sounds like a passionate guy into his craft, where does he go fishing?

[junglechef]

Went last week on my usual Monday last week, they are closed Tue-Thur I think

[vagabond48]

Went last week on my usual Monday last week, they are closed Tue-Thur I think

Actually their closed Wed to Fri.

[Ulysses G.]

You know the place better than I, but I always thought it was closed Tue-Fri. I have gone on Monday before and they were completely out of fresh fish for sushi/sashimi. They did have cooked fish available.